Curiosity's Benefits
by OUATWhoLock
Summary: What happens when Belle goes in search of someone to help defeat the Ogres, and comes across the Dark Castle? What if she comes across a certain dagger to control the most powerful being in the realms? AU in the Enchanted Forest. First ever attempt at writing ANYTHING [Not even exaggerating, so it will probably be terrible]. Criticism is greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Belle walked as fast as her overworked legs would carry her, teeth chattering as the snow landed and the cold seeped into her flesh, making her shake and the hairs on her body stand on end. It was dark outside, the darkness wrapping around her, the snow impairing her vision completely in combination with the night. She worried she would not be able to take the cold much longer, and hoped she would stumble across some shelter before it was too late.

She was thoroughly lost, after recently making a trip across the lands searching for someone who could help her stop the Ogres from invading her kingdom of Avonlea.

In the middle of the night, with but a letter to explain her absence, she left the castle she had known her entire life and snuck into the darkness to find a solution to the war that would devastate the kingdom if the Ogres were to come upon them. She knew that her papa, King Maurice, was going to be furious when she got home, and she could only hope he would understand her reasons for leaving. Still, imagining him in pain, worrying sick over her, brought a grimace to her face. But she kept on, knowing if she turned around now her journey would be for naught.

Her stomach growled; her last meal had been yesterday morning, when she had passed the village at the base of the mountain she was now hiking up, hoping a village was nearby. She was beyond fatigued, and if it were not for her sheer will to survive to help her kingdom she would have collapsed hours ago.

Her steps faltered as she thought she saw the faint outline of a manor of sorts, not far from where she stood. She squinted, trying to see through the flurry of snow about her and was pleasantly surprised the outline was not a mirage, created by her desire to find shelter, but an actual mansion. Peering sharply, she realized it was not just any place of refuge, but a castle!

She trudged along quicker, now that she had a destination to reach. The closer she got to the castle, the more in awe she was of its massive size. It was larger than any castle she had ever seen before, and her quaint castle at home did not compare to the one that stood before her.

Belle finally reached the main doors, staring up at their massive height. She surely felt she could talk to the owner of the castle and ask for shelter while the storm brewed. She would offer them her remaining gold, and would offer to help in any way she could.

She put her fist on the door and knocked with what little strength she had left. The knocking barely made a sound against the harsh flurry of wind and snow about her. She worried the occupants inside would be unable to hear her. Trying one more time, she glanced around. She could not put her finger on it, but the castle seemed… odd. Attempting to recall what it was, she realized it felt quiet and untouched. Even from the outside her castle at home looked welcoming and lived in, while this one looked cold and uninviting, which she did not think was due to the storm.

Finally getting tired of standing on the doorstep, she attempted to open the doors. To her astonishment, they opened before her with nary a creak.

She stepping inside, and warmth filled her insides. The castle was not warm by any means, but out of the wind and the cold it was all she could ask for.

"Hello?" She called out. "Is anyone here? I'm terribly sorry to intrude but I am desperate for shelter and no one heard my knocking."

She closed the door behind her, so as not to let the snow inside, and glanced at the room she was in.

It was a Great Hall, with random trinkets lining the walls of the room. The room consisted of reds and golds, from the carpet to the curtains and even the ceiling. She scanned the area to her right, which consisted of a knight's suit of armor, and something flat and tall, covered with a sheet. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she walked quietly over to the covered item and peered underneath. It was but a mirror with a dull gold trim that swirled and decorated the outside of the mirror. Placing the sheet back, she looked to the center of the room. There was a large simple table, going the length of the room, with one single chair facing away from where she was. To the left, she saw a fireplace, though the wood was cold and it appeared it had not been lit in a while.

In the far right corner of the room, something caught her eye. She tread over to it, and realized to her astonishment it was an old spinning wheel. She had seen these in books before, but never had she come across one herself in the castle she spent her time in. She rubbed the wood, studying the wheel and noticing it was heavy with use, and was antique. An heirloom she supposed.

She realized she was still in a stranger's home, without their permission, and she felt ashamed.

She tried shouting a bit louder, hoping she would be heard this time.

"Is the owner of this castle here? I would like to speak with them."

She waited, but not a sound responded to her call.

Belle started to worry. She fought with her thoughts, trying to decide if she should go back outside and face the cold or stay here for the night and hope the owner of the castle pitied her and accepted her gold as pay for intruding.

As tired as she was, she decided she would have to stay the night, as she did not have enough strength to leave and wander about in the frigid wind any longer.

She walked through the rooms, searching for some parchment, a quill and ink so that she could write a letter to the tenant of the place in case they returned before she awoke. She instead found a chamber that looked small and cozy, and she decided she would stay there for the night. She put her satchel down, and continued her search to write her letter.

Finally coming across what she was looking for, she began to write.

_To the owner of this fine castle,_

_I am very sorry to have intruded upon you and take refuge in your establishment, but I fear I had no choice. _

_I have been walking through these mountains since yesterday morning, and when the snowstorm hit I feared I would not be able to fulfill my quest. I happened upon your home, and found it to be empty of people. _

_I only need shelter for a few days, and I am sure we can come to an agreement on the price of my stay, as well as any other inconvenience I have caused. _

_I hope you understand I am only doing this because I have to. I'll leave right after the storm brews down._

_Thank you,_

_Belle of Avonlea_

She decided to put the letter in a place that would quickly be spotted, so she left it on the table in the Great Hall. Trudging back to her room, her exhaustion finally caught up to her. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room she took refuge in.

It was but a small room, and felt almost welcoming to her. Looking around, she noticed the open wardrobe in the corner. She walked over to take a closer look. She was startled to find they were peasant garb. Surely the owner of the castle was rich, and had no need for the cheap cloth. It looked heavily worn, and she rubbed her fingers across it. She could smell the sweat and dirt that came from the clothes, and she noticed they were small, as if for a child.

She began to feel awkward, sleeping in someone's chambers who lived here.

She was about to leave when she felt something in the folds of one of the shirts she was feeling. Reaching in to pull it out, she almost dropped it in her surprise.

Lifting it up, she saw that in her hand was a dagger.


	2. Chapter 2

Belle stared at the dagger, tracing the engraving with her finger and noticing the elegant pattern on it. She glimpsed writing on the dagger, and tried to depict what it said.

"Rump…Rumplestil…Rumplestiltskin?" She questioned.

The room grew dark and an icy wind blew through making Belle shiver and wrap her arms around herself. A purple mist appeared, and when the mist faded, what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

The Dark One was in the midst of a deal with a young man in peasant garb who wished for him to heal his sick father when he felt something unlike he had ever felt before. He instinctively knew what had happened, and dread pooled deep in his gut. Someone had found his dagger. He felt drawn to the blade, and could not stop himself as he teleported away, mid-deal, to face his captor.

Landing in the spot near where he had hid his dagger in a swirl of purple smoke, he felt the compelling force to bow. He fought it with all his will, but alas, it was useless. The power of the dagger had him enthralled, and he dropped to one knee, grinding his teeth in anger, and bowing his head in subservience to his new jailer.

He heard a small cry and felt a bit of glee inside to know he scared his owner. At the same time, he felt dread. She could punish him now, and he would be helpless to stop it.

The dagger forced the words from his mouth. "I am here, master." He hissed, glaring at the floor.

He remained there, waiting for her to give him orders, as he was paralyzed to do otherwise. He awaited to hear the voice who would hold him captive until the dagger was in his possession once again.

Rumplestiltskin could only guess what his mistress would ask for with her new powers. Riches, or power would be his first guess. A kingdom to rule over.

"W-what do you mean by 'master'?" Belle whispered to him, still trying to catch her breath from the scare.

The submissive man before her was like one she'd never seen before. Though she could only view the top of his crimped, shaggy hair, his attire was unique and she studied him, taking it in. He wore all leather, and it was all colored black. The suit was intriguing, with leather spikes sticking out, and almost gave him a sense of danger. His hands were not of a natural skin tone, she noticed. They were of a greenish-gold and she wondered what his face looked like.

With his head still down, the blade forced an honest answer from him. He locked his jaw in defiance and seethed in silent rage, but the words came out anyway.

"The dagger you hold controls me and my magic. I am now your slave." The last word came out as a sneer of disgust. He could not believe someone had gotten ahold of his dagger. And a woman no less! When he got it back, he was going to rip her into shreds. Of course, he needed to focus on getting out of the situation he was in first.

"Oh no! I do not want to hold someone against their will. I do not understand. Please look at me. Or better yet, let us find a place to sit, so we can fix this." Belle begged, hoping he would understand.

Looking up at her, his mind started to race. She did not WANT the Dark One under her control? Maybe she would release him then. Of course, he would still have to kill her since she knew of the dagger's existence, but the sooner he got out of her control the better. He could not believe she had located it. He purposely avoided using spells and the like to protect his dagger because those would be easy to spot. A hiding spot without spells should have been harder. But of course, this girl had found it.

He looked up at her. The woman was lovely looking, with long chestnut hair, and sparkling blue eyes. She was wearing a simple blue dress that looked like it had seen better days. She had a cloak clasped about her neck, to ward off the chill of winter.

She noticed that his green-gold skin color was on his face as well, and looked into his eyes and saw deep amber orbs staring back at her. She was intrigued by him to say the least.

She took a seat on the edge of the bed, and looked up to find the man still on one knee, staring at her.

"Oh, am I supposed to say something? Um… You can get up off the floor." Belle hoped that would work.

He shot to his feet, faster than Belle thought humanly possible. Then again, it didn't look as if he were entirely human.

He stood, not moving from his spot before, shooting daggers with his eyes at her. If looks could only kill, he thought, she would already be dead.

She gulped down the fear she felt towards him. If he really was her slave, surely he could not hurt her?

"My name is Belle." She cocked her head to the side, studying him. She saw the anger in his eyes, the murder that raged within. She knew she had to tread carefully, or she could end up dead, or worse. She had heard rumors of this man, and though it took her a few moments to connect the pieces, she realized the man she held in her power was none other than the Dark One. She'd heard stories of this man, who wasn't quite a man, who made deals with the desperate using his magic. She looked at him, and wondered how she had gotten herself into this situation.

"Is your name Rumplestiltskin by any chance?" She inquired, glancing again at the name on the dagger. "You're free to talk. Am I doing this right?"

He glowered at her, his freedom taken by a stupid girl! He vowed to get revenge, for nobody controlled the Dark One but himself!

He felt the dagger compel him to talk, and though he tightened his jaw in anger, the words stumbled out anyway.

"Yes, master. My name is Rumplestiltskin. You are doing it right." He hissed, not talking any more than he was forced to. The displeasure rolled off him in waves.

"Come sit down. I won't bite." Belle told him as she pointed to a spot on the other end of the bed. Just in case, she thought.

Sure, she won't bite, but she could make his life miserable, he thought. But an order was an order, and he found himself unwillingly sitting upon the bed, staying as far from her as he could.

His mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this. He would not be her slave for the rest of her life! Maybe he could scare her into giving it back to him. One minute he was up on top, making deals and coming out advantageous, and now his life was in someone else's hands.

"Now, I think I know who you are." She paused, licking her lips and trying to calm herself from the nervousness she felt. "You're the Dark One, right? I've heard stories of you. Of course, they were far and few between, since nobody in my kingdom has ever had contact with you, but the rumors still exist. So let us talk first, before I place the dagger back into your possession. What exactly does this dagger do?" She paused and waited for an answer.

The Dark One sat rigid, fighting the answer he knew would come. This sealed the woman's fate should he get his hands on her. "The dagger controls me completely. Whoever possesses the dagger I must heed their every word. This includes the use of magic. I am forced to tell the truth. I cannot take the dagger from them; the only way for it to be placed back into my power is if they die or they hand it to me willingly." He paused, reveling in the horror on her face at her death being mentioned. Of course, the next part would make her feel better. "I also cannot harm the one who wields the dagger. As a matter of fact, I am forced to protect them." He paused, preparing for the words that could be the end of him. He had no choice but to obey. "If the one who holds the dagger were to stab me with it, I would die and they would receive my powers. It is the only way I can be killed." He finished quickly, glancing down in fear. It was the first time he felt terrified of another person in a long time. Of all the people he had come across in his long lifetime, the one to end him would be a woman who seemingly stumbled across his most prized possession. He glanced up and saw she had utter shock on her face.

"Did you…do you think I would kill you?" Belle whispered, astonished to see such fear splayed across his features. She would never kill someone! Especially not when they were defenseless to do anything to protect themselves. Besides, there was no reason to kill him. She did not want his powers, nor could she ever live with herself if she did end someone's life. She was a kind soul, and she hoped he would see that. She only continued to hold the dagger because she was weary to give him his control back, due to knowing some of the things he could do.

He felt the tiniest bit of relief come from her words. He was sure she meant it now, but he knew it would not last. Greed would take over, and she would want the power all to herself. He could not let his guard down.

"Yes. Why wouldn't you? Then you would have all the power to yourself!" His voice rose as he said this. He still wasn't looking at her, expecting each breath to be his last.

He was astounded by her reply. "I do not want power. Or to kill anyone. I did not even mean to come across it. I was simply looking for help to end the Ogre war. If I were to give you your dagger back right now, what would you do?" She held her breath, awaiting his answer. She believed him when he said he could not lie, so she would have to see what his answer was.

The Dark One once again tried to fight against the power, but it was for naught. The dagger controlled his being, and he would not be able to fight it, no matter how hard he pushed to. He knew he would regret answering this one, as he spoke: "Kill you."


End file.
